SOLAR CELLS
G. RAM KUMAR
MVGR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Solar energy is the Sun’s rays that reach the earth.
Solar energy originates from the thermonuclear fusion
reactions taking place in the sun. Only 0.2 to 0.5% of the
solar energy reaching the earth is trapped by photosynthesis.
Thus only a tiny fraction of the solar energy reaching the
earth drives all our ecosystems.
In 1830’s the British astronomer John Herschel used a
solar thermal collector box to cook food during an expedition
to Africa.
Solar energy can be converted into Electricity by the
following two ways.
1. Photo voltaic cells or Solar cells 2. Solar power plants
Photovoltaic Cells: (PV cell (or) Solar
cell (or) Solar Battery)
• The basic unit of a photovoltaic system is the solar cell. The
most common solar cells are made up of highly refined Silicon.
These solar cells can change sunlight directly into electricity.
The photovoltaic individual cells
can vary in size from about 0.5
inches to about 4 inches. However
one cell produces 1 or 2 watts. To
increase the power out put cells
are electrically connected into a
packaged module. The modules
can be further connected to form
an array. It refers to an entire
photovoltaic power plant.
Advantages of Photovoltaic Power Plants
1. The conversion of sunlight directly to electricity needs not
any bulky mechanical generators.
2. PV arrays can be installed quickly in any size.
3. The environmental impact is minimal, requiring no water
for system cooling and generating no by products.
4. These are producing DC (Direct current) which is used for
small loads.
Disadvantages
1. The photovoltaic array is dependent on Sunlight, it is not
constant, it depends on location, time of day, time of year and
weather conditions.
2. The Photovoltaic cells used for commercial applications
must have an arrangement to convert the resultant DC power
into AC power.
Solar power plant
• Solar thermal power plants generate electricity by
using the heat from solar thermal collectors. That is
used to power the generator.
• The Sun’s rays used to heat a fluid to very high
temperatures. The fluid is then circulated through
pipes and transfers its heat to water to produce steam.
The steam in turn is converted into mechanical energy
in a turbine and into electricity by using a conventional
generator. The heat is produced by the sunlight
collectors. Solar thermal technologies use concentrator
systems to achieve the high temperatures needed to
heat the fluid.
There are three main types of solar thermal
power systems.
1. Solar parabolic trough
2. Solar dish
3. Solar power tower.
1. Parabolic trough
A long parabolic shaped reflector that
focuses the sun’s rays on a receiver
pipe. The collector tilts with the sun as
the sun moves from east to west
during the day to ensure that the sun is
continuously focused on the receiver.
Because of this parabolic shape of a
trough it can focus the sun light 30 to
100 times compare to the normal
intensity. The receiver pipe located at
the focal line of the trough to achieve
over 750 °F.
2. Solar Dish
The “Solar field” has many parallel rows of
parabolic trough collectors aligned on a north-south
horizontal axis. The receiver fluid is get heated and
runs to the series of “heat exchangers”.
A solar dish system uses concentrating solar
collector that track the sun. So the concentrate
solar energy collected at the focal point of the solar
dish. The concentration ratio is much higher than
the solar trough’s typically over 2000 with
temperature over 1380 °F.
3. Solar Power Tower
A solar power tower or a central receiver
generates electricity from sunlight by focusing
concentrated solar energy on a tower mounted
heat exchanger. This uses the system of
hundreds to thousands of flat-tracking mirrors
called heliostats to reflect and concentrate the
Sun’s energy to a central receiver tower. The
energy can be concentrated as much as 1500
times.
Solar Collectors
1. Non concentrating Collectors
The collector area is same as the absorber area. Flat plate
collectors are the non-concentrating collectors, and are used when
temperatures are below 200 °F.
It consists:
a) Flat Plate: It absorbs the solar energy.
b) Transparent Cover: It allows the solar energy to pass through and to
reduce the loss of heat.
c) Heat transport fluid: It is flowing through tubes to remove heat from
the absorber.
2. Concentrating Collectors
The area intercepting the solar radiation is more than the
absorber area. Concentrating solar systems require water for regular
cleaning and for cooling the turbine generator
Advantages
a) Very high temperatures reached. High temperatures are
suitable for electricity generation.
b) Good efficiency by concentrating sunlight current systems can
get better efficiency.
c) The large amount of energy can be produced by using
inexpensive mirrors.
d) Concentrated light can be redirected to a suitable location for
illumination.
e) Heat can be stored by using molten salts in underground tank.
This energy is used to convert into electricity during cloudy days
and overnight conditions.
Disadvantages
a) These systems require sun tracking to collect the focus sun light.
b) In concentrating systems electricity drops drastically in cloudy
condition.